ScotchingHard
Ardbeg 13 Year Chieftain's (Ian Macleod)
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
April 18, 2019 (edited October 10, 2021)
This was a free 1 oz sample from Petite Cellars.
The truth is, @Richard-ModernDrinking, I don’t have a conclusion for this whisky. Out of the 7 samples I tried that day, this was the one that made me feel that I was just scratching its surface. This is not the whisky that will win a whisky line up.
It’s Ardbeg. It’s not friendly. The premium price, ~$165 for a 13 year old independent bottling, is the first jab to the body. The color is pale; but the soul is black. Charred wood. Coal. Embers. Centralia, Pennsylvania. The nose is a second body shot. The arrival on the palate is a hook to the jaw. There is no hickory; there is no barbeque. I am caught off guard how ashen this is in the mouth. Salt, ash, and hatred.
With time, this sweetens up, and I get some barley sugar, caramel apple, and citrus. The finish is actually light and fruity. Is it the complexity of an evolving spirit? Or is it just because the masochistic parts of my senses have been saturated? It’s like meeting someone for the first time in the octagon, and getting your ass kicked, and then having him buy you a drink at the bar afterwards. Mixed feelings, yeah?
In the end, I decided to leave this bottle alone, due to the price. This may have gotten a lot better, if I got to know the whisky, but Ardbeg 10 and Ardbeg Uigeadail are cheaper, and safer bets.
Sample rating: Average +3 (a very good whisky)
Star rating: 2.5 / 5 (not worth the price)
Create Account
or
Sign in
to comment on this review
I think you capture my sentiment toward the 15y in a way I couldn’t. Basically Hell knocked and was like, “dang I forgot the sulfur, hang on a sec while I…” and when I saw an opportunity I ran. Felt physically assaulted, but in a “got my ass kicked and lived to tell about it!” sort of way.
Brilliant, that review was worth the wait. I shall steer clear of this bottle and smelly Pennsylvanian towns.